Voxlux is a really really bad film. Has public shooting scenes which are in bad taste. Has some terrible dancing with Portman - feels unfinished - feels like the editor took the piss with the footage beyond artistic merit - feels like the film ran over budget resulting in cheap low budget scenes mixed with high budget scenes - Has long stupid dialogue - has confusing characters. Plus the story goes no where and isn't developed but rather cut off... like the film was scrapped mid way through.
Film academics and film essay writers will love this.
What I have heard: Nisi lenses are rebadged Bokkelux lenses. Not a new lens design but rather a repackage lens similar to most full frame cine lenses which are just repackage full frame photography lenses.
Simply put: anamorphic lenses are difficult to design, require costly cylindrical glass elements, and are in low demand when compared to ordinary spherical lenses... which is why anamorphic lenses will continue to be expensive. The technology to manufacture cheap anamorphic lenses is not here yet and anamorphic lenses (being specialized cine lenses) will always be more difficult to design thus adding to the cost.
To gain a true anamorphic image you need to record onto a 4:3 aspect ratio sensor with a 2x squeeze anamorphic lens which after de-squeezing the image will give you a 2.4:1 widescreen anamorphic image. This product records onto a 16:9 sensor and has a smaller 1.33x squeeze ratio to give you a 2.4:1 widescreen anamorphic image. Without either a 1.5x to 2x anamorphic squeeze lens you are losing most of the look (unique anamorphic depth of field and unique bokeh). ...Not to mention that the flares are pretty basic and uninspiring... Might as well buy a slr magic adapter for a proper camera instead of this product.
Film is finite. Digital is endless.
The classic issue with digital is running over time by: shooting too many takes, not planning rigorously enough, and not being precise enough while shooting, which all can lead to a rushed product that's of lower quality.
Due to the upfront (in your face) cost and finite nature of shooting with physical film, a certain pressure is put onto film crews which can produce better & more focused results.
People don't storyboard, rehearse, do technical tests, and plan enough with digital. Too much is fly by night. Made in the edit vs made in the pre-production.